Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said on Wednesday that his department has taken decisive action against what he calls “pernicious practice” by certain officials, as part of his objective to unlock tourism and job creation.

Schreiber stressed the need for Home Affairs officials to abide by standard port of entry visa requirements, alleging that some officials and e-visa managers have asked for unauthorised Immigration Regulations requirements from applicants.

The unauthorised requirements include death certificates of applicant's parents, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, proof of specified bank balance in the accounts and also consent from the applicant's employer or educational institution.

The standard, valid requirements are the passport of the applicant, a statement or document detailing the purpose and duration of the visit, a valid return airline ticket or proof of the reservation, and proof of sufficient financial means with certified three months bank statements.

He explained that these regulations applied to physical applications processed at South African Missions abroad, as well as applications submitted on the e-visa platform.

No additional documents are required from applicants, he stressed, adding that officials were also not authorised to request applicants to notarise their documentation.